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Laminator poll

Tony27

New Member
I am about to purchase a 54 inch cold laminator with heat assist. Being there are so many to choose from I am looking for imput from the audience. Taking into consideration quality, ease, price, etc.
 

GB2

Old Member
You really need to set a budget for this purchase since you can get a very nice laminator, for example, in the $5000 range or you can go to the next level for $15,000. It depends on your intended use and volume. I suspect you are in the $5000 range (I wouldn't recommend anything lower than that and I definately would not recommend any Chinese import or the Daige), so let me offer the:
Royal Sovereign RSC1400H (Possible older model #, I have not researched the newest model #s)
5 roll holders - paper • media • laminate • liner take-up • media take-up
Heat Assist
Cost effective
Excellent performance
Excellent reliability
Excellent support, warranty, service

Actualy, I own this particular laminator and I never use the heat assist for general sign purposes, so depending on your specific needs, you might be able to elimininate the heat assist for some cost savings but the 5 roll holders are of critical importance.

If you want to go to the next level, I would suggest the Seal Pro Series. For the extra $10,000 you get the brand name, supposedly easier roll holders to swap material out with, generally percived greater value, and possibly higher volume processing.

The last thing I'd like to say at this moment is that purchasing a laminator is not like purchasing anything else. A laminator may last you many, many years. It is a simple piece of mechanical equipment that will outlast digital printers, etc. Therefore, you should anticipate your future when purchasing a laminator and purchase one that will be size appropriate for you future needs.
 
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Tony27

New Member
http://www.signoutletstore.com/d2f1bf375f2273fe4e81850bc1e5602b
Check this laminator, it has the heat assist thing and also i saw it at an open house and worked very well, easy to use, you can adjust the height the way you want or need, you dont have to use the preset heights like the other laminators. It comes with everything you need in a laminator no other accessories to buy.
thanks for the imput, it just so happens that this is one that i had intended to look at. S&F supplies in Brooklyn had given me a quote on this. Two questions, is it easy to change material and do you have to purchase a special paper to put underneath the print?
 

fmg

New Member
I have the Seal base 54.
Never used the heat assist and not once encountered any silvering when laminating prints.
This is a good all round solid unit which will take minimal experience in starting up.
I like the fact that the gears are easliy adjustable on the rollers and has the tilt lead tray.
Hope this helps.
 

tomence

New Member
Very easy to use, easy to change materials, now if your print is smaller than the laminate roll then you need to buy the kraft paper, but if the rolls are matching in size you dont need the kraft paper. I just happened to be there when they laminated a whole roll of 54"x150' in one shot using the heat assist and everything came out perfect. I really like this one better over the Royal.

thanks for the imput, it just so happens that this is one that i had intended to look at. S&F supplies in Brooklyn had given me a quote on this. Two questions, is it easy to change material and do you have to purchase a special paper to put underneath the print?
 

Bill Modzel

New Member
I have a 51" laminator with a hand crank. It looks like a long ringer washer rig.
I paid $300 for it and wouldn't trade it for a $7,000 Seal. It's fast and easy to use and most of my jobs are way less than 8' but I have applied full size prints to 4x10's too.
 

Bill Modzel

New Member
Here's a couple my wife just shot. The laminator itself is the blue frame. I built the off and on tables which fold down if I need any extra shop space.
 

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FatCat

New Member
Bill, I've looked at something similar and wondered how well they work. I'm not a high volume shop so it's hard to me to justify dropping $5k+ on a laminator. Do you know the brand name of yours, and where you got it?
 

Gino

Premium Subscriber
If you haven't bought it yet.... contact Dave Phillips, a Merchant Member here [Graphics Resource Systems.... GRS], and see what deals he has available. He's fantastic to deal with and very knowledgeable. Or..... just wait for the Sign show at Atlantic City next week. They'll all have huge deals going on there.
 

signsbydebbie

New Member
We have a 65" Royal cold.
What I have learned....
Have a 54" printer, get a 65" lamination machine.
Silvering, if any, goes away in a few hours.Heat not needed.
Royal Sovereign (at least mine ) IS MADE IN CHINA, IT SHOULD COST $1800...max.

The Big SQueegee is the best $100 I ever spent on sign gear........
 

Sticky Signs

New Member
Tony,
I'm not sure what you guys are doing, but my guess is that you don't need the heat assist. I have the Royal 55" cold laminator. I don't have any problems with it and the price was right.
When I started shopping around, I really had my heart set on a Seal (that's what I learned on) but I after trying the Royal S I decided it was more than good enough to do what I need it to do.
Hope this helps.
D
 

GraphixUnlimited

New Member
Im with Sticky on this one... ive got the 55" Royal Cold and I laminate all day long like a bat outta hell with no issues ( minor silvering but it goes away in a few hours )

cheers eh!
 

Letterbox Mike

New Member
The Royal Sovereign is a great first laminator. It takes some getting used to and will test your patience at first, but they all will. Once you get it dialed in and figure it out though, they're very good and will last years.
 
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